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{{Short description|5th-century BC Chinese military strategist}}
{{about||the Chinese-American biostatistician|Fan Li (statistician)}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Fan (surname)|Fan]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{chinese
|pic=File:Fanli.jpg
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|c={{linktext|范|蠡}}
|p=Fàn Lǐ
|w=Fan Li
|altname=Taozhu Gong
|c2={{linktext|陶|朱|公}}
|p2=Táozhū Gōng
|w2=T'ao-chu Kung
|l2=Pottery-Red [[gong (title)|Lord]]
}}

'''Fan Li''' (fl. 5th-century BCE) from the [[Spring and Autumn period]], was a Chinese businessman, military strategist, and politician. Fan Li was an important political and military advisor to [[Goujian]], the king of [[Yue (state)|Yue]]. He later was known as '''Taozhu Gong''', a name he took after achieving a decisive victory for Yue over the state of Wu and retiring to live a secluded life with his wife [[Xi Shi]], one of the most famous beauties in Chinese history.

{{anchor|History|Biography}}
==Life==
Along with [[King Goujian of Yue]], Fan Li was once a hostage of the state of [[Wu (state)|Wu]]. After three years of captivity the two of them returned to Yue where Fan Li helped Goujian carry out a host of reforms to streamline the administration of the Yue state. In 473 BCE, Yue was finally able to destroy the state of Wu. After the victory, Fan resigned and renamed himself Taozhu Gong. After his departure, he was said to have written a letter to [[Wen Zhong]] from [[Qi (state)|Qi]] (now Shandong), advising Wen Zhong to leave Goujian's service.  Wen took notice of the advice in the letter and later was able to escape to Qi, living his remaining days there.

Alternatively, he is said to have retired from his ministerial post and lived with [[Xi Shi]], one of the renowned [[Four Beauties]] of ancient China, on a fishing boat roaming the misty wilderness of Lake Tai in the style of a [[Taoist immortal]].

==Legacy==
In his later years, he became a legend for his success in business and was posthumously worshipped as a god of money or the [[God of Wealth]] ([[Cai Shen]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=God of Wealth |url=https://www.chinatownology.com/God_of_wealth.html |website=www.chinatownology.com}}</ref> He is also credited as the namesake of [[Dingtao, Heze|Dingtao]] in Shandong.

Fan Li was an ancestor of [[Fan Zhongyan]], a famous [[Grand councilor|chancellor]] and historical figure from the [[Song dynasty]].<ref name="Yen 2013 p. 262">{{cite book | last=Yen | first=L.D.H.C.H. | title=Ethnic Chinese Business in Asia: History, Culture and Business Enterprise | publisher=World Scientific Publishing Company | year=2013 | isbn=978-981-4578-44-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PIgGCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA262 | access-date=2017-06-25 | page=262}}</ref>

== Writings ==
Fan Li's writings are lost, and only known through quotes in a compilation of works by [[Cai Mo]] (281–356). His theories on business were summarized by [[Ma Zong]] ({{lang|zh|馬摠}}) in the 8th{{ndash}}9th century, during the [[Tang dynasty]]. 

His original works include:

* Several treatises attributed to him concerning business management and risks
* The ''Yangyu Jing'' ({{lang|zh|《養魚經》}}, ''Fish-Breeding Classic''), an early text on [[fish farm]]ing.
* The ''Bingfa'' ({{lang|zh|《兵法》}}, ''Art of War''), on military strategy. Not to be confused with ''[[The Art of War]]'' by [[Sunzi]].

==References==
{{Commons category|Fan Li}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fan, Li}}
[[Category:6th-century BC Chinese people]]
[[Category:5th-century BC Chinese people]]
[[Category:Chinese merchants]]
[[Category:Chinese philanthropists]]
[[Category:People of Yue (state)]]
[[Category:Zhou dynasty government officials]]